The Wild Bottle Tamer!!

Just wanted to let you know about a great item I have perpetually attached to Sophia's stroller! It's called the Bottle Tamer and it's saved her bottle (which is now a sippy cup!) many times from plummeting to the dirty ("icky" as we're teaching her!) ground. The Bottle Tamer easily attaches to any stroller. You can find the Bottle Tamer online at Lil BahBee (http://lilbahbee.com/). I've found it really useful and just wanted to share in hopes of helping someone else whose child likes to see how far they can throw stuff out of their stroller when they get bored:-)

That's all for now! Have a great weekend~

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How can it be?!?!

...that we have a 1-year-old! We celebrated Sophia's very first birthday on August 25th. It was just a special, quiet night at home with Mommy, Daddy and our Big Girl. We had just come off of a 2 and 1/2 week trip visiting family and friends back in Illinois where we had a blow out birthday bash with a balloon and confetti drop...the works:)
So the night to ourselves, to reflect on what the last year has brought us, was a nice way to end the birthday festitivies:) After Sophia went to bed, Justin and I watched video footage from Sophias first months...of course, I teared up at the realization that if the first year went this fast, the rest of her childhood will be over in the blink of an eye! But we've managed to savor each moment with the wonder of the blessing she is to us.
In other news...we nearly have a walker. Her record (3 steps) has given us hope that full fledged walking is quickly on the horizon!

Sophia enjoying some time on the Farm with Grandpa!










First Birthday Fun!












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She's trying to communicate:)

Sophia is slowly connecting verbally with her world...and boy, is it adorable! She started off several weeks ago saying "dadadada" which made her daddy very proud (and of course left me feeling a little jealous:-) But now she actually says "mamamama" even when you prompt her to say "dada"...(smiling smugly:-)

But the cutest one we've heard so far is her new friendly greeting...she says, "Hi!". Soooo cute. But it's usually not just a short, sweet "hi". She likes to draw it out. Imagine a little hi pitched voice saying, "HHHHIIIIiiiiii...." to you. Makes you kinda smile, doesn't it.


Justin's family came to visit a couple of weeks ago. Here's a beach pic of Grandpa, Sophia and me enjoying the beautiful view.

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Expensive seats!!

So I just realize that I've been slacking on my "mom responsibility" to get the next step up in car seats for Sophia. I'm reminded during a conversation with a friend who asked me what carseat I got for Sophia when she grew out of her infant carrier. "Yikes", I still have her in the infant carrier and haven't thought about the next step convertible seat in a while. Honestly, I've been putting it off because it's all so confusing to me. There are so many options and brands. And I'm convinced that the car seat industry has us parents cornered. All of the seats on the market meet safety regulations so you really can't go wrong, but it seems like the most expensive seats get the best safety ratings from Consumer Reports and the like. I mean of course you want your baby in the safest seat possible. But is it necessary to buy the most expensive?!?! It just gets really overwhelming. One brand I've looked at resembles a little lush recliner for your kid. Of course it's the most pricey. Across the board, I've been looking from most to least expensive-Britax Marathon, Cosco Alpha Omega and the Evenflo Triumph. Anyone have any suggestions?? Help!

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So Proud!

I actually JOGGED last weekend! What an accomplishment~ And I owe it in huge part to PUSH TV and my trainer Mike Monroe. I just started session #3 with PUSH and it is the first one that has REALLY challenged me. The previous sessions have kind of been building on each other and the most recent left me sore, a good sore, the next day. I'm continuing to "plug away" at my workouts and am feeling really great. I can tell it's given me more energy throughout the day.
My next goal is to begin swimming as exercise. I've never been a strong swimmer...I think it started in grade school when I failed swimming lessons (yes, you really can fail:). But I'm going to turn over a new leaf and give it a try. It's an important part of my overlying goal of eventually competing in a triatholon!
Sophia Update: She's EVERYWHERE!! Crawling all over, pulling herself up on everything...it's a wonder I have a moment to spare for exercising!

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Cool Shades...

So I have to tell everyone about this great find that I have been using for Sophia's stroller. Ever since I've had a baby, I've been OBSESSED with protecting her from the sun. I figure, I should start her out by protecting her from as much sun damage as possible...hopefully by the time she's a teenager, it won't be "in" to have a constant dark tan like it was when I was that age!
Anyway, in addition to massive amounts of sunscreen, I've been using this great Stroller Sun Shade Attachment that you can find at www.stylishlyprotected.com or www.protectabub.com. This sun cover easily attaches to almost any stroller (I have two strollers and it works with both) and protects against 98% of the sun's UVA & UVB rays. Plus when she's getting a little drowsy in her stroller, I can pull the shade down to help her take a nap (and buy me some time:-)

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I will survive!

Well...I've made it past the first 2 weeks of my fitness program with PUSH, and I have to say, they make it really easy for me to workout with my new life situation..i.e."trying to get in shape after having and trying to keep up with a baby!"(now mind you, "making it easy", and just going ahead and doing the workout for me are two VERY different things:-)
My fitness trainer, Mike, calls me every two weeks to check in, see if I have any questions, and basically encourage me in reaching my goals. The current challenge he's given me is investigating a competitive event that I can set as my future goal. I'm looking at some triatholons, or maybe a 1/2 marathon. Haven't decided yet.

Yesterday, for Mother's Day, Justin, Sophia and I went for a hike. And boy, was it a hike! It definitely made me realize that I still have a long way to go to acheive all of my fitness goals, but finishing the hike encouraged me that I'm not a total "lost cause" :)

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Exercise Programs to Purchase - www.push.tv/chicblvd

Hi Ladies... so I'm joining 2 More Hours with PUSH tv and ChicBlvd.com!

I had my first phone call with one of the trainers on Wednesday!

I'll share more later, but please join me on this journey at www.push.tv/chicblvd (get a FREE 30-DAY TRIAL!)

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Happy as a "Daisy"...

Sophia has been a little under the weather for the past week. She was feeling better today so we spent some time outside "playing". Mommy needed some "outside time" too. I'm feeling a little claustrophobic!
I threw on her new hat from Maggie's Rose. It's one of the most adorable hats she owns! I can hardly take her out in public without getting stopped and people asking me where I picked up this cute hat. You can see what Maggie's Rose has to offer at www.maggiesrose.com. You can also scope out where you can pick one up for your little darling. We just celebrated our friend, Celia's, first birthday and gave her one...it was a hit! And she looked adorable in it too.

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Sophia is my little Rock Star!

If you want to bring out the rockstar in your baby check out the hip and trendy onesies from My Rockstar Baby. Their onesies are printed with unique and funny phrases that accurately describe the life and times of babies everywhere - with just a touch of attitude! Phrases like "poop happens", "active doodie" and "i'm pooped" are just some of the designs offered at My Rockstar Baby. All designs are printed on super-soft onesies available in short-sleeve and long-sleeve. My Rockstar Baby was created by the passion and desires of best friends Emmy and Mookie. Their love of babies and all things associated, along with the desire to own their own company, helped them to create this unique and fun line of onesies.

Check it out! :)

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Just can't get enough

I've found there are two things that I thought I had TONS of when Sophia was born...I even thought that maybe I had two many. I was wrong! I've since learned that you can never have enough burp clothes and blankets.
One of Sophia's favorite blankets is the Cuddle Zabba from AllyZabba. It's an adorable kiwi color "snugly" blanket with a beautiful trim. I get lots of compliments on it when we go out.
AllyZabba also has beautiful burp cloths. Or as they call them...Burpie Zabbas :)Just because you use them for spit up doesn't mean they shouldn't' be beautiful, right!
So anyway, just wanted to give you the tip...check out AllyZabba.com. If you're like I am, I'm not only always in the market for cool baby stuff for my little gal, but also for the dozens of friends I know who are having babies!

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The Queen on her Throne!

Each day Sophia becomes more of a little person. Her newest discovery is the view she has from her highchair. We just started feeding her in it regulary this week. It's so cute to see her little body in the big chair. Not only does she love sitting up so high like a "big girl", but we have dinner entertainment now!
The only problem is, I've quickly discovered the downside of having carpet in the eating area of the kitchen...gross! There's a smattering of squash, apples, and peas on the ground.
Also, we've discovered the beauty of those little "Puffs" that melt in her mouth. She's LOVES those things...and they are great from "buying some time" while I'm working on something!

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A Special Week

My husbands parents just left today after a week long trip to our place in California from their home in Illinois. I was reminded just how special seeing our parents interacting with our little girl. It's so neat to see Justin's mom sing songs and nursery rhymes to Sophia. It allows me to glimpse back in time to when Justin was a baby and she sang those same songs to him.
Because our families are so far away, Sophia is the beneficiary of some MAJOR spoiling when she does see her grandmas and grandpas! And I get spoiled too by getting a break from diaper changes and baths:)
My family (Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother, Aunt and Uncle) is coming out to visit over Easter to see us...who am I kidding...to see Sophia! We can't wait.
I've realized that even though a couple of thousand miles separate us, the time we are now able to spend with our family is not taken for granted anymore. We value each minute we're able to be together. And our communication during the time we're not together is much more frequent, via phone, email, webcam, than it was when we lived just a few miles away.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Thanks to those of you who keep checking back for an update on this blog. I’m FINALLY getting around to posting…motherhood is a lot of things, and one of those things is a FULL TIME JOB!

Since I’ve last written, we’ve traveled across the country with Sophia, she’s started to roll over on her own (and roll very quickly!!), started eating solid foods, cut her first two teeth, gotten her first fever and has been busy changing and growing each day.

I’ve started going to a group called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) at a local church. It’s been such a huge blessing to me (you can find a MOPS meeting in your area by visiting www.mops.org). MOPS has been a great time to connect with other new moms like myself, moms who’ve had a few years experience, and “mentor moms” who are usually “grandma age” to guide all of us through the process.

In my group at MOPS, two of the moms have newborns. While Sophia and the other kids hang out in the nursery, the newborns get to come to the meeting with us. In the couple of times I’ve gotten to cradle these little cuties in my arms, I’ve realized that in my mind, Sophia never really grew out of this stage. I didn’t realize how big she really was until I held a newborn again. Another reminder of how fast this time has gone!

Since Sophia has started eating solids, I feel like most of my day is spent either feeding her or preparing her food (I’m making most of it at home in my blender). I suppose it’s a small price to pay to be able to know exactly what is going into her body and that it’s healthy, fresh produce, but I didn’t know how much time it takes to feed a baby J She’s good to go on the yellow veggies, but the green veggie introduction hasn’t gone quite as smoothly as I would have hoped. She gagged on the avocadoes and broccoli was a “no go”. I was going to try green beans next but I’m not very hopeful. Any advice anyone might have on introducing the “green guys”, send it my way!